Name
Matt Daniels
Creative field
Illustrator
Location
Manchester
Website
www.stickypop.co.uk or www.flickr.com/photos/stickypop
Describe yourself in three words…
I was unsure on which 3 words to use, so I asked a few people to help me out ... they said: Polite, Diamonds and Squiddles, a rather mixed bunch of words!
Tell us about your background:
I've always wanted to be in the creative industry, but I always imagined myself to be a Graphic Designer rather than illustrator as that's what I've studied to be. I grew up in Manchester in a tiny town called Dukinfield where I sleep, eat, drink and draw.
Tell us about what you do!
I'm currently freelancing in Illustration, or more so, Character Illustration which ranges from corporate illustrations for diagrams, to skateboards, t-shirt designs and wall murals.
Who or what inspires you?
I find a lot of inspiration from Tattoo artwork, as well as vector based artists, to name a few, Aaron Miller, Peskimo and Tado but I also have a huge love for street art, especially guerilla advertising. The biggest person to inspire me though has to be my girlfriend Emma who recently passed away who pushed me through a lot and has inspired me to carry on with what I love to do and to enjoy myself doing it.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
My proudest moment so far has to be organising the Squiddles exhibition in memory of Emma which is on the 18th September in Manchester. I feel like putting something together such a charity event, especially in memory of someone so close to me is a great achievement and I feel proud for doing it. The idea of putting together a show in such a small amount of time is very pleasing and rewarding.
And your greatest project?
My greatest project/s have to be some of the wall murals I did back in April for Noise Labs in Manchester which was two huge window displays by myself which were covered in character illustrations, as well as items I had created such as Skateboards and T-Shirts. I also think my newest project for Digital Artist is a huge achievement for me as it relates back to wanting to be in the magazine as it was only in April I mentioned to Emma how great it would be to have work in there.
What do you hope to be doing in five years time?
In five years time I hopefully will be freelancing full time as well as having my own brand set up and running called Squiddles. I also hope I've moved out ... and have my own place ha!
When you aren’t being creative, you are…?
I'm usually out and about traveling to places, I enjoy meeting new people and seeing what's going on around me. I like to go out on my bike, but I also do a bit of gardening on the weekend around the house and others houses.
Anything exciting ongoing or in the pipeline?
Currently I've got a few sneaky projects coming up such with the new brand on it's way out with an amazing range of t-shirts by some very talented artists. I also have a few commissions I'm really excited about for magazines!
Finally, any words of wisdom to other creative people?
I'm never sure what to say when it comes to wisdom, but the way I see things is, no matter how much work you do, make sure you're enjoying it, don't do something just for the sake of it, life's too short, enjoy your projects and make them fun!
